Let’s Enka! With Jero

Pittsburgh-native Tokyo-based Enka superstar Jero makes his New York debut at Japan Society!

Jerome Charles White, Jr, better known by his stage name Jero is an Enka singer of African-American and Japanese descent. He is the first black Enka singer in Japanese music history.

African-Americanculture have been popular among a segment of young Japanese since the mid-1990s, so many are hoping that he will be able to spark interest in Enka in the younger generation.

Enka, a product of the late 1940s, is often viewed today by the music industry as commercially obsolete. Indeed, there is hope for Enka yet as Jero’s fanbase is not limited to older women who grew up with the genre but also a new and emerging younger fanbase who before would never have been thought of as potential fans for the genre.

In this intimate concert and talk, Jero will serenade audiences with his urban-infused ballads and discuss his relationship with the Japanese world of Enka.